Engineering intern brings electricity to life

SLVREC Engineering Intern Tyler Dokson recently put his engineering skills to work by creating a large-scale model that demonstrates how electric motors— and generators—work. Tyler, a 2025 SLVREC scholarship recipient, is entering his second year in the engineering program at the University of Colorado.

The model is a brushless motor, similar to motors found in many everyday devices connected to the electric grid, including fans, air conditioners and irrigation pumps. It is powered by a DC battery but uses three main phase wires to operate, similar to the three phases used in the electric power system.

The motor works by energizing coils in a sequence, creating a rotating magnetic field that interacts with permanent magnets on the center rotor and causes it to spin. Tyler designed the model so the components are open and visible, making it easier to see a concept that normally happens inside a motor.

And it works in reverse. When someone spins the motor by hand without power, it acts as a generator. On a much larger scale, the same basic concept is used to generate electricity for the electric grid.

The project is also a great example of STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—in action. For Tyler, it provided an opportunity to apply what he’s learning in engineering to a hands-on project while giving others a simple way to see how some of the technology behind electricity works.